Astronomy and Space

Gamma Canis Majoris

Gamma Canis Majoris is a blue-white star in the constellation of Canis Major. Its name is a Bayer designation; it has the proper name Muliphein, pronounced . With an apparent visual magnitude of +4.10, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. The reason why this relatively faint star was given the 'gamma' designation is uncertain, but possibly because it is in the same part of the constellation as Sirius (alpha) and Mirzam (beta). Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of 430 light-years (132 pc) from the Earth. It is drifting further away with a line of sight velocity of +32 km/s.

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See also

• ▸Astrochicken
• ▸Christmas Island flying fox
• ▸Arctic Weather Satellite

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